Gambling with Love
by Cora Summers
Summary: Alex has just started with the Special Victims Unit. Over lunch one day, she and Serena make a bet to see who can get Olivia into bed first. Along the way Alex falls in love. Can call off the bet before it's too late. A/O
1. Chapter 1

The characters are the property of Dick Wolf and NBC.

* * *

Alexandra Cabot walked into the doors of the 16th precinct, shoulders back and head held high. She was the picture of pure confidence. Today was her first day as the Assistant District Attorney for the Special Victims Unit. She had met with Captain Donald Cragen the day before and from what he had told her she knew that she would have to be on her game to deal with the passionate detectives of the squad.

She saw four detectives diligently working on paperwork. She strode into the Captain's office to let him know that she was there. "Good morning, Captain," she greeted him. "I just thought I would come by and introduce myself to the detectives of the squad." She stood in the middle of his office, brief case in hand, waiting for him to speak.

Don sighed as he stood up. He could always spot the ambitious ones and Alexandra Cabot was definitely in that category. He knew that she knew very little about the exact crimes the Special Victims Unit investigated. Of course she knew they were sex crimes. There were very few people who knew the exactly how heinous those crimes actually were. He only hoped this assignment didn't break her.

"Morning, Counselor. If you follow me I can introduce you to the four main detectives." He walked out of his office, Alex as a tale. "Listen up people," he called to the room. All four figures at the desks snapped their attention towards the captain's voice. "This is Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot. She is now the permanent ADA for this unit. Anything you need for a case, you see her." He saw them all nod. They stood, at the same time, like it had been rehearsed. Alex inwardly smiled and could only guess how close this squad actually was.

When the four detectives came to a stop, Captain Cragen made the introductions. "Ms. Cabot, this is Elliot Stable, Olivia Benson, John Munch, and Odafin Tutuola. I'll leave you all to get acquainted." With that he retreated back into his office.

Alex was the first to break the silence. She was good at reading people and wanted to try and understand something about their character and what dynamic they brought to the group. She addressed Detective Tutuola first. "Odafin?"

"It's Yoruba," he explained. "People just call me Fin though."

Alex nodded. From the way he looked at her, as though he were sizing her up, told her brought street smarts to the group. She moved her attention to the man standing next to him. "Munch, correct?"

"You can call me whatever you want Ms. Cabot," he smiled. Alex decided he thought he was some kind of ladies man. Before she could come to any other decisions he continued. "Tell me, who do you think was behind the Kennedy assassination?"

Before Alex could respond, there was the sound of a cell phone going off. She watched as the man who had been introduced as Elliot stepped away and answered his. After a few minutes he hung up and rejoined the group. "Liv that was Kathy. Lizzie got sick at school and she can't get away from the hospital."

Before he could continue Olivia had already started to talk. "Go take care of your daughter. I'll let Cragen know," she smiled at him.

Alex came to the conclusion he was the family man. Now all she had to do was figure out the only female member of the squad. She looked at her trying to get a read. She noticed Olivia was looking back at her. "Before you even think to answer Munch's question, you should know he is a bit of a conspiracy theorist."

Alex smiled her thanks at the warning. She watched as Detective Munch huffed and stalked back to his seat. Fin smirked and returned to his as well. She shook Olivia's hand and made a general announcement to those still in the squad room. "Well, it was meeting all of you, but I'm afraid I have some work to do and I'm sure you would like to get on with yours also."

Olivia smiled in understanding and returned to her desk. Alex noticed it was a guarded smile, like she was trying to keep everyone out. As she walked back to her office, she decided she would have to try and find out some more information about the mysterious Detective Benson. She was having lunch with a couple of friends who had been with the DA's office longer than she had. Maybe they would know more.

At lunch time, Alex found herself in a small diner a few blocks from the courthouse. She was sitting with her long time friends Abbie Carmichael and Serena Southerlyn.

"How did the meeting with the Special Victims Unit go this morning, Alex?" Abbie asked. She had worked with the unit on occasion so she would be able to help Alex get a read on the detectives during her early days.

"I didn't get a chance to really talk to them aside from the introductions, but I was able to work out a few things," Alex explained.

"Like what?" Serena asked. She had never worked with the Special Victims Unit personally, but she had heard enough to know they were dedicated to their work and were at times very intense.

"Well, Fin is definitely the one who brings a certain level of street smarts to the group," she explained. She noticed Abbie nodding her head in agreement.

"Fin used to work in narcotics," she told the other ADA's. Tutuola worked undercover regularly. He would often spend weeks or even months at a time in various alternate identities. He left Narcotics and transferred to SVU when his partner took a bullet that was meant for him."

Alex made sure to keep that in mind. It would probably help her understand him at a later date. "The first thing Detective Munch tried to do was hit on me. Then he turns right around and asks me my views on the Kennedy assassination. It was almost insane."

"I have heard about Munch," Serena said. "Apparently he believes that President Johnson hired a mafia hit man. John is convinced the only way Johnson would have become president was to take over the position from the vice presidential position."

"Not only that, but he also seems to think a second hit man was hired to take out Lee Harvey Oswald," Abbie added.

"I have a feeling I am going to stay on my toes around that one," Alex said.

All Abbie could do was nod. "What about Stabler?"

"No doubt about it. He is the family man. His daughter got sick today and he didn't even think about it. He went to pick her up."

"He and his wife have been together forever. They have four kids. I've seen him in action. He is an amazing dad," Abbie told her. "But that doesn't mean he can't get a little carried away on the job. He is one of the more passionate Detectives of the group."

"What about the delectable Detective Benson?" Serena asked. There was a little twinkle in her eye that did not go unnoticed by either of the women sitting at the table.

Alex laughed softly. "Really, Serena, if you want to stay in the closet around the office, you could try and be a little less obvious about who you are attracted to."

"What?" Serena asked. "You cannot tell me that you don't think she's hot?"

"Yeah, Cabot. We both know you prefer the softer side of Sears."

"Besides, the woman is married to her job. Either that or she just doesn't date," Serena said.

"Why do I get the feeling someone has been scorned by the beautiful brunette?" Alex asked.

"I wouldn't say scorned," Serena said. "I only asked her out for coffee." To anyone else, they would think that it really was no big deal. To the two women she was dining with, it was obvious Serena had been hurt by the rejection. If only just a little.

"So you do think she's attractive," Abbie asked.

"Please," Alex scoffed. "You'd have to be blind and deaf to not be attracted to the woman. Her voice alone is enough of a melody to sooth anyone's ears. Besides, I couldn't really get a read on her. I actually wanted to ask you two about her. See what you knew."

They both turned to Abbie. "I don't really know that much about Olivia," Abbie shrugged. "There were a few occasions we would work late going over case files, but all we would ever talk about was work. She doesn't really open up to a lot of people."

"Oh," Alex sighed. The disappointment was clear on her face.

"Me thinks Alex has a crush, Abbie," Serena smiled.

"What are you talking about, Serena? Of course I don't," Alex said. Although she wasn't so sure. There was something very intriguing about the detective.

"What's wrong Cabot? Scared she'll turn you down?" Serena challenged.

"You and I both know, Southerlyn, if I really tried I could get Olivia to go out with me."

"Oh I think we could make it a little more interesting than just a date," Serena said.

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked suspiciously.

"I believe, ADA Southerlyn would like to make a wager," Abbie added warily. She didn't like where this was going. Serena was competitive, especially with Alex. She also didn't like to be turned down. This did not make for a great outcome.

"That's right," Serena smiled. "The objective is to see who will be the first one to get Olivia. Not just to go on a date, but in bed."

"I'm not so sure about this Serena," Alex stated. It was wrong to use people for your own enjoyment. She had just met Olivia and she seemed like to nice of a person to do something like this too. That and they worked together. This could make the office potentially awkward.

"What's the matter, Lex, scared you'll lose?" Serena grinned.

Alex narrowed her eyes. "You know that I win our bets more often than not," Alex said. "I just don't think it would be such a great idea to do this to someone I'll have to work with everyday. Besides, she might not even be gay."

"She is," Abbie chimed in. She watched as two shocked sets of blue eyes met hers.

"How would you know?" Alex asked.

"What can I say," Abbie shrugged. "There was one case that hit both of us hard. It was late. One thing led to another and we ended up in bed. We never talked about it again, but Olivia did seem apologetic afterwards. Not that we slept together, more so the fact she thought she had used me or taken some kind of advantage of me. I could never work out the exact reasoning behind it, though.

"Well?" Serena asked.

"Well what?" Abbie smirked, knowing full well what Serena wanted to know.

"How was it?"

"She is definitely gay," was the only response Abbie would give, but the look in her eyes told her tow friends all she needed to know.

Turning back to Alex, the grin was back on her face. "Now that we have that clear up, what do you say, Alex?"

Alex sighed, knowing it would be impossible to get out of this with any sort of dignity, whether she agreed to the wager or not. "Fine, you've got a deal."

"Excellent," Serena exclaimed. "We will decide on the terms later. Now I do believe it is high time we got back to the office."

Abbie and Alex agreed. As Alex was walking out, she started to wonder if agreeing to the bet was the best thing. Either way it was too late now. Now all she could do was pray and hope for the best.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **and on to another one. Sorry this isn't very long. The next one will at least be a little bit longer. Enjoy. Comments make me smile :)

* * *

In her apartment, Alex sat on her couch deep in thought. She knew beating Serena wouldn't be a problem. While Serena did have an advantage by knowing Olivia for longer, Alex was able to read people better. The fact that she had difficulty reading Olivia could pose a problem.

She had a few ideas that might get this bet going in her favor. If those didn't work though, Alex would have to actually get to know Olivia. This, in itself, could prove to be disastrous. Getting to know someone meant it was possible to get attached. Getting attached would result in developing a conscience, which was something she couldn't do. If Alex thought about how horrible it was to do this to someone, she would feel guilty, resulting in forfeit. She hated losing. She hated losing to Serena even more.

Day two with the Special Victims Unit proved to be uneventful. Alex had decided she would spend a little time observing the brunette beauty before she tried anything. That and she didn't need to do anything until she saw Serena actually making an effort.

When a few days had gone by with no physical evidence her competition was actually participating, Alex felt like she was in the clear for a while. She didn't let her guard down completely though because she knew how sneaky Serena could be.

In those few days, Alex learned very little about Olivia Benson. She found out that she became very passionate about her cases, and wouldn't rest until they had someone in custody. Part of her wanted to know the driving force behind that passion, but she knew learning the little things about Olivia would lead to trouble farther down the road.

Alex was almost to the point where she felt safe from any threat from Serena. Maybe this would work out to where Olivia would possibly ask her on a date. This would all depend on whether or not Alex was even Olivia's type though. While Alex could admit she was attractive, she was not conceited enough to believe everyone would fall for her. If that's how it worked out though, they would let things go a little too far. Alex could play it off as she wasn't ready for anything serious with anyone, having just started a new job and everything, but they could still be friends.

Smiling with her forethought as she walked into the squad room at the end of the week, Alex's good idea seemed to fly out the window. Sitting on the edge of Olivia's desk sat Serena Southerlyn. She could tell that she had brought the Detective coffee. Alex smirked because judging from the look on Olivia's face as she took a sip, ADA Southerlyn had no clue how she took her coffee. Alex had noticed throughout the week that Olivia was one of the very few officers that actually used sugar in her coffee.

Alex paused just within earshot of their conversation.

"Are you doing anything this evening, Detective?" she heard Serena ask sweetly.

"As of right now, my evening is free, but," Olivia started but was interrupted by the attorney.

"I've got tickets to a Knicks game and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" Alex almost gagged at the faux shyness her competition was displaying.

Olivia smiled politely before she responded. "As great as that sounds Serena, I'm working this weekend and I have to be here early tomorrow. Thank you for the offer, though."

In her head, Alex did a victory dance. She knew it would be short lived though. The more Serena got turned down, the more determined she was to get what she wanted. When she heard Serena make her excuses to leave, Alex continued her approach. Not knowing how long Alex had actually been there, Serena gave her a triumphant smile, as if the exchange had gone in her favor.

Alex continued her approach to the detective's desk. She resumed the position her competition had just left. "Morning, Detective," she greeted with a warm smile. "Mixing business with pleasure?" As Serena did not regularly deal with the Special Victims Unit it was safe to assume that she had been visiting for personal reasons and not professional.

"Morning, Counselor," Olivia greeted with a smile. "And no, actually. She keeps trying, but I keep having to turn her down."

With Olivia's admission, Alex viewed this as her opportunity to get the brunette to open up to her. "Not your cup of tea in general? Or _she_ isn't your cup of tea?"

Olivia smiled and debated whether or not she should side step the question. It was something rather personal, but since everyone on the squad knew, it was bound to eventually get back to the ADA. "Serena is a nice person, but I don't feel something between us would go anywhere," Olivia smiled. "Plus I'm not really into the Knicks," she explained conspiratorially.

Alex smiled at the admission. She mentally marked a tally in her head. If Serena wasn't even on Olivia's radar, the odds were far more in Alex's favor. Starting next week, phase one of Operation Seduction: plan A was going into effect.


	3. Chapter 3

Hopefully this story continues to flow. I'm going to try not to have such a long absence again. All characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC

* * *

Standing in front of her closet, Alex tried to decide how she was going to go about seducing Detective Benson without attracting any unwanted attention from the male detectives of the squad. She continued to rifle through her clothes. How was it possible that out of all the clothes she owned, she felt she didn't have anything worthy of turning on a female detective?

After a few more minutes she'd gotten to the back of her closet and finally found what she was looking for. It was something she very rarely wore, but it could be just what she needed. It was definitely a good thing she'd given herself an extra hour this morning to get ready.

Olivia walked casually down the corridor towards office 208. She was curious why Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot had called and asked to meet her in her office this afternoon. As far as she knew, all her cases were air tight and none that she knew of were up for appeal. She thought back to the conversation she'd had with ADA Cabot the week before. With her luck the young attorney asked to meet with her to let her know that she was uncomfortable working with her because of who she dated.

She couldn't explain why she felt so nervous. Olivia would be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to the woman, but she knew when not to push things, especially when it came to coworkers. As far as she knew, Alex was straight, and this meeting was purely professional.

It also didn't help that she was the first one summoned to the ADA's office to discuss a case. The guys were just as curious about this meeting as she was, and she knew they would press her for details when she got back.

Taking a deep breath, the brunette prepared herself before knocking. After she'd calmed herself down, she knocked three times and waited for a response. It came almost immediately, and if Olivia didn't know any better it sound slightly rushed. With that thought in mind, Olivia slowly opened the door.

Alex was sitting behind her desk, still in courtroom attire, complete with her suit jacket, working diligently on the file in front of her. Her glasses had slipped slightly down to the edge of her nose. Olivia smiled a little and had to admit that the young attorney was adorable and she didn't even know it. Schooling her face, she cleared her throat to let Alex know she was there.

Alex's head snapped up as though she'd been shocked out of her concentration. She smiled inwardly. Plan A was about to go into effect. "Good morning Detective Benson. Have a seat."

Olivia took a seat across from the desk. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like she was sitting in the principal's office. Schooling her features, she didn't let her nervousness show. "What did you need to see me about, Counselor?"

Alex finished making notes in her file before removing her glasses and looking at her visitor. She carefully studied the detective for a moment before she got on with their meeting. "I just had a few questions on the Johansson case," Alex explained.

"Fire away," Olivia said.

They spent the next twenty minutes going over the finer details of the case. When they were finished, Olivia noticed Alex was flapping the lapel of her jacket. "You ok, Alex?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied sounding flustered. "Is it me, or is it hot in here?"

Olivia hadn't thought it was overly warm in the office. She took in her appearance. Jeans, orange sweater with a white shirt underneath, and her leather jacket. She felt comfortable. Alex was wearing less than she was, so she couldn't understand how she could be warm. "You feeling ok, Alex?"

"I'm fine, it's just really warm in here," she replied. She then stood, took of her suit jacket to make herself more comfortable, and placed it on the back of her chair. When she took her seat once more, Olivia's eyes almost popped out of her head. Alex's blouse was the most see through thing she had ever seen. She could clearly make out the black lace bra Alex was wearing underneath. After she'd realized what she was seeing, she immediately looked down.

"Are you alright, Olivia?" Alex asked? It was all she could do to keep the smirk off her face. Olivia was adorable when she was trying to be respectful. When Olivia looked up again, she made immediate eye contact. Alex noticed that not once did she let her eyes slip. It was also when she noticed how intense Olivia's eyes were. They were filled with warmth and a kind of mystery. If she let herself, Alex knew it would be very simple for her to lose herself in that intense brown gaze. She shook that thought off though, knowing it was not a possibility.

"Yes, I'm fine," Olivia replied nervously. It was moments like this she was thankful for her discipline when it came to work. "Was there anything else you needed, Counselor?"

"No, I think that covered it. Thanks for your time, Detective." She watched as Olivia politely excused herself and left the office. This confused Alex. Not once did Olivia take the opportunity to view what Alex had so easily put on display. She was respectful the whole time.

Alex stood once more and thought about the encounter. She removed her shirt quickly and opened her desk drawer to retrieve the more sold tank top she'd removed just before Olivia had arrived. After she'd redressed in more appropriate attire, she sat back down and leaned back in her chair. She knew Olivia was gay. Obviously it wasn't a bad plan to try and turn her on with her body, but that hadn't worked nearly as well as she had hoped.

It seemed as though she was going to have to put more thought into this. Clearly this bet was not going to be as simple as she had originally thought. She should have known better though. Bets with Serena were very rarely simple, and always messy. Before she could think too much on what she'd gotten herself into though, she decided she was going to have to recruit a little help.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I'm not going to lie, i am pretty impressed with myself. Not only are you getting another update for this story, but one is coming along nicely for another story as well. Don't be upset with me, but there is also a story in the works, something new, but that won't be posted until Halloween. I'v had the idea for a holiday series for a while. I know its mean to tease you with it now since Halloween is still a while away, but I was just giving the heads up in case my time is spent on something other than this story. Hope you enjoy the update, and feel free to review...they make me happy :)

* * *

Serena sat in her apartment with a glass of wine, staring into the fireplace. Under different circumstances, this would be a rather romantic setting. But romance was the farthest thing from Serena's mind tonight.

This competition with Alex was getting to her. She couldn't let her get too much of an advantage. It was enough that she'd be working with Olivia almost every day. She couldn't let anything else give her a leg up. She'd seen Olivia first. She had talked to her first. She had wanted her since the day she met her, and even more so when the beautiful brunette turned her down. Serena didn't know what it was about the detective. But it wasn't just that. She owed Alex payback for a night she would never forget.

Serena shook away the memory that almost came to mind. She didn't want to deal with that, not tonight. She had to think of a way to get underneath Olivia's skin. If she played her cards right, that wouldn't be the only part of Olivia she was under.

Knicks tickets hadn't worked. She had another set of tickets she could use. If that didn't work it could possibly be time to drag out the big guns. She had millions of dollars at her disposal. She could wine and dine Olivia until the brunette had no choice but to give in, but what to start with?

Serena finished her wine, turned off the lights, and closed the gate to the fireplace. She'd devise more of a plan on the slim chance her next attempt didn't work. Because after all, who could resist Serena Southerlyn?

Alex walked cautiously into the café. She felt like she was cheating, but they'd never set rules about what was allowed to achieve the goal. It was just that she'd never needed help competing before. She felt as though this bet was going to bring out the first of many things for her.

She spotted her lunch companion sitting at a table in the back. Not surprising to Alex, her friend didn't look exactly thrilled to be there.

"Hey Abbie," Alex greeted with a bright smile, a little too bright than was usual. "How are you today?"

"I'll be great as soon as you tell me you didn't invite me out here to help you beat Serena," the brunette replied in her smoky Texan voice. She severely disliked the competition her two friends had engaged in, especially since it could possibly harm a third friend. She was not going to even pretend that wasn't the reason her friend had extended an invitation to lunch. They very rarely were able to meet for lunch during the week, and she was not naïve enough to assume there wasn't a catch to this.

Alex's face fell when she sat down. She had felt guilty trying to bring Abbie into this, but she was starting to get desperate. She had no idea what Serena was planning, what she'd already tried besides the attempt she'd witnessed, or if anything had already worked. She wasn't getting much out of Olivia either. Aside from the very short personal conversation she'd had with the brunette about her competition, and consequently her dating habits, Alex knew nothing except that Olivia was a very respectful and disciplined person, and Serena had her work cut out for her.

"I'm sorry, Abbie," Alex apologized. "I should have known better. I'm just making no progress."

"Maybe then you two should call this off," Abbie responded. "Alex, you are one of my best friends, and Olivia is another close friend. I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"What makes you think I'm going to get hurt?" Alex asked, confused.

"You're too good of a person to not let something like this affect you, Cabot."

Alex thought for a moment. Yes she felt horrible about the terms of this particular wager, but she was confident she could make it through this without anyone getting hurt, and she told Abbie as much.

"If you're sure, Alex," Abbie replied, unconvinced.

"I am," Alex said. She hesitated before continuing. "Are you sure you can't even give me a little information, Abbie. "You've already gotten Olivia into bed. There has to be something I can try."

"Alex, we only ended up in bed because we'd been drinking," Abbie told her. "And I really don't recommend going about it that way."

"Did you ever figure out why Olivia felt as though she'd taken advantage of you?" Alex asked, remembering what Abbie had told them when they initially found out about the one time encounter.

"Yes, but I can't tell you," Abbie said when she realized Alex was about to ask. "I'm sorry, Alex. It's not my story to tell."

Alex nodded her head in understanding. She wouldn't want to tell someone else's business either. "Is there anything you can tell me, Abs?"

Abbie sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get out of this without giving something up. She just hoped Olivia didn't hate her if she ever found out she played any part in this. "I will give you a name, but after that I refuse to be any part of this."

"Is Serena going to get this same name?" Alex asked.

Abbie shook her head. "First, Serena would never think to come to me. You know she's way too confident in her abilities outside the courtroom. Second, she already knows who I'm talking about, but I can guarantee she will never think to go and talk to her."

"Ok, who do I need to go and talk to?"

"Rebecca Hendrix."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** sorry its taken so long to get this up, its been a crazy week. hope you all enjoy.

* * *

Alex nervously paced outside the office. She couldn't believe she'd actually gone through with the appointment her assistant had set up for her. She had no idea what she was going to do when she got inside the office. She could either start to make up a problem, which considering what she dealt with on a daily basis would not be a problem. She was sure though that Dr. Hendrix would see right through it. From what she'd been told, Hendrix was a very accomplished psychiatrist.

She could just as easily go in there and be honest with the doctor, at least mostly honest. For some reason she didn't think she should mention the bet aspect as far as Olivia was concerned. She would have a field day psychoanalyzing that one. No, she'd go in and explain how she was having a difficulty getting to know her colleague and in her line of work, it was necessary to know and trust the people you worked with. It made it so much easier to do your job as an attorney if you could trust the officers and detectives you worked with.

"Ms. Cabot," the secretary announced, snapping Alex out of her thoughts. "The doctor can see you now."

Alex nodded her thanks and walked into the office with her court persona in place. She would feel better about this meeting if she was as honest as possible, without subjecting herself to any actual therapy.

"Good morning, Ms. Cabot," Dr. Hendrix greeted casually. She stood from her desk and walked over to shake the ADA's hand. "If you give me the details of the case, I'll see what I can do to help."

Alex became slightly confused. "What makes you think I'm here for professional reasons?" she asked the young doctor.

Retaking her seat behind the desk, Rebecca smiled before responding. "Whenever someone makes an appointment with me, I usually run a small background check on them, to give me an idea of what to expect," she explained. "Your background shows no real reason for you to need therapy. So unless there is some deep dark secret your now willing to dive into, or you've suddenly developed daddy issues, I think it's safe to say this is a professional visit."

As Alex took her seat, she thought over what Dr. Hendrix said. It made sense, and other different circumstances, she could see herself coming to the doctor about a case. But not today. "This is actually for a personal reason," Alex explained. "But it's not for a medical reason."

Now it was Rebecca's turn to be confused. "Care to explain, Ms. Cabot?"

"You're going to think this is absurd," Alex said. "I just transferred to Special Victims Unit as their full time ADA."

"Do you happen to know Olivia Benson?" Dr. Hendrix asked.

"She's actually the reason I came to see you," Alex smiled.

"Has she driven you crazy already?" Rebecca laughed.

"No not quite," Alex replied. "I was just hoping you could tell me something about her. I've been able to start understanding all of my detectives, but not her. I can't tell what kind of person she is, except an exceptionally talented detective who is dedicated to her job."

"Shouldn't that be all that matters?" the doctor asked.

"In most circumstances yes," Alex started. "But the cases in SVU are not easy to deal with. If you can't trust your coworkers to be there for you when a case breaks you, you won't last long."

Rebecca thought about that for a moment. She'd left the force before she was assigned to any specific unit so she had no idea what the detectives saw when it came to those cases. She knew what she had to deal with when she was involved in a case, and that alone was no fun. The detectives saw everything first hand before it was cleaned up for the "suits." "And you were hoping I could give you some insight to the mysterious Detective Benson?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Alex said. "But I will understand if it is something you are not comfortable with."

Rebecca paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. It also gave her a chance to think of what she felt comfortable sharing, and what she shouldn't. "Olivia is an intensely private person," she started. "It is difficult for her to trust people, and even harder for her to open up to people. We spent six months at the academy together and I still feel like I barely got to know her."

"I see," Alex said.

"I'm sorry I can't be more help, Ms. Cabot," the doctor said. "My advice would be to just show her that you can be there for her. Eventually she'll realize that she can trust you."

Alex nodded. "Thank you for the advice, Dr. Hendrix, and for your time. I'm afraid I must get going though. I'm due in court in thirty minutes."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Cabot. Good luck with Detective Benson."

Alex smiled her thanks and walked out of the office. As soon as she was out the building, the smile faded while she thought of what lay ahead of her.

Olivia walked into the precinct early as usual. She went first to start a pot of coffee, and then walked towards her desk. She stopped short when she saw what was placed on top. A vase full of pink, white, and red roses sat in the middle of her desk. Olivia sighed, thinking this was going to be a long day. Noticing an envelope in the middle of the bouquet, Olivia reached over and removed it. She placed it on her desk so she could remove her jacket.

After taking her seat, the brunette slowly opened the envelope. She removed the note and unfolded it. What looked like two tickets fell on to her desk. She left them face down, and set them aside for now. Her anxiety was not lessened at all when she actually read the note.

_Olivia,_

_I realized that while I am a basketball fan, it is not for everyone. So I was wondering if you'd care to join me at tonight's Rangers game? I hope to see you tonight._

_Serena_

"Who's the Jane?" Elliot asked as he walked in. It wasn't everyday his partner had flowers waiting for her.

"A very persistent attorney," Olivia explained.

"Southerlyn still trying to hook you?" Elliot asked with a grin. He couldn't understand why Olivia hadn't given in already.

"Yes," Olivia sighed. "It looks like she's not giving up. Hockey this time."

Elliot picked up the tickets. "Whoa, these are good seats, Liv. Why not take her up on the offer tonight?"

"I don't know El. I just don't see anything happening with her. I don't feel any kind of connection with her."

"Just give it a chance. You never know what can happen, Liv."

Olivia took the tickets back from her partner and looked at them. She thought about it for a while. Maybe she did need to get out and have a little fun. Not every date had to go somewhere right? She placed the tickets in her desk drawer. She'd make her decision later.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: See chapter one for disclaimers...if its not there...then all characters belong to someone else :)**

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Olivia walked into the precinct early as usual. She went first to start a pot of coffee, and then walked towards her desk. She stopped short when she saw what was placed on top. A vase full of pink, white, and red roses sat in the middle of her desk. Olivia sighed, thinking this was going to be a long day. Noticing an envelope in the middle of the bouquet, Olivia reached over and removed it. She placed it on her desk so she could remove her jacket.

After taking her seat, the brunette slowly opened the envelope. She removed the note and unfolded it. What looked like two tickets fell on to her desk. She left them face down, and set them aside for now. Her anxiety was not lessened at all when she actually read the note.

_Olivia,_

_I realized that while I am a basketball fan, it is not for everyone. So I was wondering if you'd care to join me at tonight's Rangers game. I hope to see you tonight._

_Serena_

"Who's the Jane?" Elliot asked as he walked in. It wasn't everyday his partner had flowers waiting for her.

"A very persistent attorney," Olivia explained.

"Southerlyn still trying to hook you?" Elliot asked with a grin. He couldn't understand why Olivia hadn't given in already.

"Yes," Olivia sighed. "It looks like she's not giving up. Hockey this time."

Elliot picked up the tickets. "Whoa, these are good seats, Liv. Why not take her up on the offer tonight?"

"I don't know El. I just don't see anything happening with her. I don't feel any kind of connection with her."

"Just give it a chance. You never know what can happen, Liv."

Olivia took the tickets back from her partner and looked at them. She thought about it for a while. Maybe she did need to get out and have a little fun. Not every date had to go somewhere right? She placed the tickets in her desk drawer. She'd make her decision later.

"This is just fucking great," Elliot exclaimed later that day as he barged back into the squad room. Concentration broken from the interruption, Olivia looked up towards her partner, waiting for him to explain his mood. "Cabot is so worried about her dam politics, she can't see a sure thing when it's right in front of her."

"You're gonna have to do better than that, El. I still have no idea what you're talking about."

"She denied us a warrant in the Donavan case because she's too chicken shit to take a small chance."

"We have enough evidence for a search warrant? El, we don't even have it narrowed down to a single suspect yet," Olivia argued back.

"Since when are you on her side? Liv, we both know she's hot, but don't let that cloud your mind about whose side you're on." When he saw the look in his partners eyes, he knew that not only what he said was out of line, but that'd he may have gone too far this time.

"Last time I checked, Stabler, we were on the victim's side. Maybe you'll remember that the next time you call my loyalty into question." With that, Olivia grabbed her jacket and left the squad room.

Before she knew it she was outside ADA Cabot's office. Thankfully she had calmed down enough to have a rational discussion with the attorney, and not only apologize for her partner's brashness, but also get her side of the story. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the reply.

Olivia opened the office door and took a moment to look at the blonde sitting behind the desk. Alex was so engrossed in her file that, at first, she didn't even look up to see who had entered her office. _She really is beautiful, _Olivia thought. She then mentally slapped herself for thinking that way about a straight co-worker. Lost in her mental punishment, she hadn't noticed when blue eyes turned in her direction.

"Something I can help you with, Detective Benson?" Alex asked her. By her tone alone, Olivia could tell this was not going to be a successful trip.

"Possibly Counselor," Olivia started. "I just left the precinct and it seems my partner is in a bit of a tantrum. I was wondering if you could shed some light on that."

If possible the fury in the blue eyes grew even more. "I will not ask for a warrant on a gut instinct, Detective…."

"Alex, I…"Olivia tried to interrupt, but it was of no use.

"…Your partner has shaky evidence, and a gut instinct that I don't know yet if I can't trust. I will not put my career on the line for a hunch."

"Now wait one damn minute," Olivia fired back. "I didn't come over here to yell at you for denying it, or even for upsetting my partner. He's a big boy; he can fight his own battles. I came over here to make sure you were alright, and to see if there was any damage to the working relationship between yourself and Detective Stabler. I can see now however, that I shouldn't have bothered." Once she'd said her piece, Olivia stormed out of the office. It occurred to as she watched the elevator doors close that Alex was rather sexy when she was pissed off.

"Remind me to let you fight your own battles next time, Elliot," Olivia yelled as she stormed back into the squad room.

"Things didn't go well I take it?"

"Nope. Next time I go to visit the Ice Queen, remind me to layer up. I think I came back with frost bite."

Elliot laughed at that analogy. "Ice Queen, huh?"

"If the shoe fits," Olivia replied as she was rummaging through her desk. It took her a moment to find what she was looking for. She glanced at her watch, and realized it wasn't too early to head out. "I'll see you tomorrow Elliot."

As she was walking out of the squad room, she pulled out her cell phone. She stepped into an elevator just as the other one arrived on their floor. "Serena? It's Olivia. Is that invitation still open to the game tonight?"

"_Well, I would hope so, since I gave you my ticket as well," _Serena laughed on the other end of the line.

Olivia laughed as well. "Good, then I will pick you up at six." Olivia hung up the phone as the doors slid closed. She missed the look of shock on the face of another blonde hair, blue eyed attorney.


End file.
